'Using decimals' tutor notes

This module is about adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimal numbers. It is aimed at Level 1 of the Basic Skills Curriculum in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and covers material in N2/L1.5 and N2/L1.7.

We'd love to hear your comments on the module; do you like the activity and the factsheets? What do you think of the worksheets, and quiz? Send in your own and your students' feedback to skillswise.feedback@bbc.co.uk.

How does this tie in with the new curriculums?

• England
  N2/L1.5 - Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals up to two places.
  N2/L1.7 - Approximating decimals by rounding to a whole number or two decimal places.
  
• Wales
  As England.
• Northern Ireland
  As England.
• Scotland
  See www.aloscotland.com for details of the Scottish curriculum.

In the Skillswise module you'll find:

Using decimal numbers quiz
Three quizzes for students to practise adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying and approximating decimal numbers. There are 3 levels; Level A is the easiest and level C the hardest.
Students can print out a certificate if they score 50% or more in the quiz. This will appear as a link on the results page - click on the link and the certificate will appear in a new window. Students can write their name on the certificate once it's printed.

Using decimals factsheets
You'll find curriculum references in the top right corner of the factsheets.
There are four factsheets for this module, each on 'print-out-and-keep' sheets:

• Factsheet 1 - Addition and subtraction of decimals
• Factsheet 2 - Multiplying decimals
• Factsheet 3 - Dividing decimals
• Factsheet 4 - Approximation and rounding

Using decimals worksheets
There are four worksheets. You'll find curriculum references in the top right hand corner of the worksheets. They are printable resources to carry on the work learners have done online.

• Worksheet 1 - Addition and subtraction of decimals
• Worksheet 2 - Multiplying decimals
• Worksheet 3 - Dividing decimals
• Worksheet 3 - Approximation and rounding

Technical help:

If you are new to the web, why not try the BBC WebWise online course, Becoming WebWise? It's free, you can do it in your own time from any computer and it will take you through everything you need to know to use the web successfully in your teaching.
Find out more about WebWise.

You can find out more about the technical requirements for Skillswise in our Help - Technical Information section.

Taking it further:

With Skillswise

• Introducing decimals
• Comparing fractions and decimals
• Comparing decimals and percentages
  

When covering this topic your students might like to try some In the news quizzes which contain questions which involve decimal numbers:

• Take a look at these athletics results from a competition held in Italy in June 2003. Then follow the link to the quiz.

With the Web

Here are two news items that refer to decimal numbers.

• Decimal currency fears looks back to 1971 when Britain's currency went decimal.
• Wall Street decimalisation is about the New York stock exchange replacing fractions with cents.

Don't forget to visit Teaching inspirations for more ideas for teaching fractions.
Here is another suggestion of a place on the web you might find useful for teaching decimals:

• http://www.mathleague.com/help/decwholeexp/decwholeexp.htm
  The site contains a lot of worked examples which cover most aspects of working with decimals.

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of other websites.

Do you know of any great online resources for decimals? Tell us about them!